Getting babies to drink water

[monkeymonkeymoomoo]

Just read that babies/toddlers between 1 and 3 years should be drinking about 4-5 glasses of water/diluted juice a day. I struggle to get DD to drink half a glass to a glass (plus two breastfeeds) a day. Have tried doidy cups, beakers etc etc to no avail.

Sounds like a lot, especially if you are bf. I have always had more success with unlidded cups though.

Currently having the most success with diluted apple juice in a basic Tommy Tippee lidded cup thingy. I thought it sounded like a lot too.

My dd never drank that much! Have water always available, if she is thirsty she will drink

IME there are very few babies who would drink that amount of water, and I think if yours is drinking half a glass a day, you are doing well. Is your lo having bottles as well as breast? If so, one way of incresing fluid intake is to make up bottles with one more fluid ounce of water than scoops of powder (but never the other way around!). Once they are big enough, probably about 18 months, they do tend to like straws!

I wouldn't worry too much - she'll let you know if she's thirsty.

is she poo-ing ok. if so, then she is getting enough fluid imo.

another vote for straws, or anything in a carton with a straw.

Will try a straw, if we are out and about I have bought the odd carton of pure fruit juice with a straw and she does seem to like it. Could try it at home with water She just doesn't seem to like the taste of water and prefers diluted juice.

She doesn't have any FFs.

Breastmilk changes constituency once babies are weaned to be more like a drink than a food.

Does it Camy? Where did you get that from?

It was one of the things our breastfeeding counsellor told us at NCT ante-natal classes.

Our bodies are cleverer than we know